Journal of Community Nutrition

The Korean Society of Community Nutrition (대한지역사회영양학회)
권호 표지

Association between Vitamin C Nutritional Status and Blood Lead Level in Korean Male Lead Workers

  • Kim, Hee-Seon (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Soonchunhyang University)
  • Published : 2004.09.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

A cross-sectional epidemiologic study was conducted to evaluate vitamin C nutritional status by assessing dietary intake and blood vitamin C level and to identify the relationships between dietary vitamin C intake, serum vitamin C level and blood lead level in Korean lead workers. The study population was 118 lead workers from two battery manufacturing factories and 63 non-lead-exposed controls. A food consumption survey was conducted by the 24-hr recall method to determine the dietary vitamin C intake level. The anthropometric measurements, blood collection, and survey were performed between September and November, 2000. Blood lead levels and serum vitamin C levels were measured using an atomic absorption spectrometer and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Vitamin C nutritional status of Korean lead workers was lower than that of the control group, in terms of both dietary intake and the biochemical index: the mean daily dietary intake level of vitamin C of lead workers was 65.9mg (94% RDA), while that of controls was 132.6mg(189% RDA) ; and the serum vitamin C status of lead workers (0.10mg/dl) was significantly lower than that of controls (1.08mg/dl ; p<0.001). Both dietary vitamin C intake and serum vitamin C levels showed a significant negative correlation with blood lead level (p<0.001), which indicates that strategies of dietary management to promote the health of Korean lead workers should focus on promoting the vitamin C intakes of individuals.

Keywords

References

  1. Bates CJ, Thurnham DI(1997) : Biochemical markers of nutrient intake. In : Margetts BM, Nelson M, editors. Design Concepts in Nutritional Epidemiology. pp.209-211, Oxford University Press, New York
  2. Calabrese EJ, Stoddard A, Leonard DA, Dinardi SR(1987) : The effects of vitamin C supplementation on blood and hair levels of cadmium, lead, and mercury. Ann N Y Acad Sci 498 : 347-343 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb23773.x
  3. Committee on Lead in the Human Environment(1980) : Lead in Human Environment. Washington DC : National Academy of Science
  4. Dawson EB, Evans DR, Harris WA, Teter MC, McGanity WJ(1999) : The effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on the blood lead levels of smokers. J Am Coll Nutr 18 : 166-170 https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.1999.10718845
  5. Flora SJ, Tandon SK(1986) : Preventive and theraputic effects of thiamins, ascorbic acid and their combianation in lead intoxi-cation. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol 58 : 374-378 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0773.1986.tb00124.x
  6. Gibson RS(1990) : Assessment of iron status. In : Gibson RS, editor. Principles of Nutrition Assessment. pp.349-376, Oxford Uni-versity Press, New York
  7. Goyer RA, Cherian MG(1979) : Ascorbic acid and EDTA treat-ment of lead toxicity in rats. Life Sci 24 : 433-438 https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(79)90215-7
  8. Hennig B, Toborek M, Bachas LG, Suk WA(2004) : Emerging issues : nutritional awareness in environmental toxicology. J Nutr Biochem 15 : 194-195 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2004.01.002
  9. Holmes HN, Campbell K, Amberg EJ(1939) : The effect of vitamin C on lead poisoning. J Lab Clin Med 24 : 1119-1127
  10. Jacob RA, Skala JH, Omaye ST(1987) : Biochemical indices of human vitamin C status. Am J Clin Nutr 46 : 818-826 https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/46.5.818
  11. Kang MH, Yun JS(2001) : The effects of exercise on the vitamin C and E intakes and their plasma levels of vitamin C, alpha-toco-pherol and gamma-tocopherol in young meale adults. Korean J of Nutr 34 : 306-312
  12. Kim CJ, Park JS, Kim SY, OH DK(1996) : Varietal differences among soybean sprouts during germination and maturation. Korean Soybean Digest 13 : 55-61
  13. Kim HS, Song OY, Lee SS, Hwangbo Y, Ahn KD, Lee BK(2001) : Assessment of nutritional status by estimation of nutrients and food intakes of the lead workers in the Republic of Korea. Nutr Sci 4 : 91-97
  14. Lauwerys R, Roels H, Buchet JP, Bernard AA, VerhoevenL, Konings J(1983) : The influence of orally-administered vitamin C or zinc on the absorption of and the biological response to lead. J Occup Med 25 : 668-678 https://doi.org/10.1097/00043764-198309000-00015
  15. Lee BK(1991) : Lead poisoning in Korea. Korean J Occup Health 30 : 1-9
  16. Lee SS, Choi IS, Lee KW, Oh SH (1998) : Effect of antioxidant vita-min supplementation on blood composition in smoking college men. Korean J Nutr 31 : 289-296
  17. Morton AP, Partridge S, Blair JA(1985) : The intestinal uptake of lead. Chem Br 15 : 923-927
  18. Niazi S, Lim J, bederka JP(1982) : Effect of ascorbic acid on the renal excretion of lead in rats. J Pharm Sci 71 : 1189-1190 https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.2600711033
  19. Sauberlich HE(1981) : Ascorbic acid(vitamin C). In : Labbe RF, editor. Symposium on Laboratory assessment of Nutritional Status. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine 1 : 673-684
  20. Simon JA, Hudes ES (1999) : Relationship of ascorbic acid to blood lead levels. JAMA 281 : 2289-2293 https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.281.24.2289
  21. Sohler A, Kruesi M, Pfeiffer CC (1977) : Blood lead levels in psy-chiatric outpatients reduced by zinc and vitamin C. J Orthomo-lecular Psych 6 : 272-276
  22. The Korean Nutrition Society(2000) : Recommended Dietary Allo-wances for Korean, 7th revision, KNS, Seoul
  23. United Stastes Environmental Protection Agency(1998) : Lead in your home : a parent's reference guide. Washington DC : US Government Office
  24. Willett WC(1990) : Implications of total energy intake for epide-miologic analyses. In : Willett WC, editor. Nutritional Epide-miology. pp.245-271, Oxford University Press, New York
  25. World Health Organization. Inorganic lead(1995) : Environmental Health Criteria 165. WHO, Geneva